No good reasons for Midland children to be hungry

MRTMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 5:33 pm, Saturday, August 27, 2011

There is a story that comes across our desk every so often that almost takes our breath away. Such a story came this past week when we learned that nearly one of every four children in Midland County deal with hunger issues.

This was data released by Feeding America from its food insecurity survey covering the 22-county area served by the West Texas Food Bank. And if that wasn't shocking enough, Midland County is better off than others in the surrounding where one in three children deal with hunger issues in counties such as Ector, Andrews and Howard. Reeves and Presidio top 40 percent.

These are numbers coming right out of one of the greatest economic boom areas in the nation. It's almost unthinkable to us that we live in a region where one in every three children isn't getting enough to eat on a daily basis.

This is disturbing news to say the least, but it should be news to propel us into action. There is no logical reason that there should be children in this region of Texas dealing with hunger issues.

Of course, we all know that we have the resources to basically eliminate this problem, but we ask how is the best way to go to bring food relief to the children of the Basin?

First and foremost, we must support the work of the West Texas Food Bank. After all, this organization deals with this kind of problem on a daily basis and can get food into the hands of many that need it. It makes sense to support this effort.

The food bank typically collects food and then supplies it almost immediately to partner agencies in each of its 22 counties. In Midland, those distribution points include agencies such as Memorial Christian Church, the Salvation Army and the Midland Baptist Crisis Center. But food donations are said to be low and this is an area where our citizens can make a real difference in the lives of area youngsters.

Also, many churches and organizations like Casa de Amigos and the Salvation Army deal in this work. They, too, need more aid and to do a better job of supplying needs to those in the community suffering from hunger issues.

We think our community can do a better job than we are doing now. It makes no sense to us to have hungry children in our midst. Think about it for a moment. In Midland, where our economy is booming, 24.8 percent of our children suffer from hunger issues. Yet nationwide 23.2 percent of the children are suffering from hunger. That number is staggering.

We can and we must do a better job of meeting this crisis in our own back yard. As we prosper locally, there is no excuse to see this kind of suffering among us. We can end this horrific malady with a genuine concerted effort.